Molded pulp article stripping apparatus



March 1, 1955 A. E. COMSTOCK MOLDED PULP ARTICLE STRIPPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 21, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet l March 1, 1955 A. E. coMs'rocK MOLDED PULP ARTICLE STRIPPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 21, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 1, 1955 A. E. coMsTocK MOLDED PULP ARTICLE STRIPPING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 21, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V EN TOR. (Zlfieaifivzafada WM r March 1, 1955 A. E. COMSTOCK MOLDED PULP ARTICLE STRIPPING APPARATUS INVENTOR. QZ/kdZComaac/g 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 21, 1949 United States Patent MOLDED PULP ARTICLE STRIPPING APPARATUS Alfred E. Comstock, Palmer, Mass.,ass'ignor to General Package Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application December 21, 1949, Serial No. 134,229

11 Claims. (Cl. 92-56) The present invention relates to an improved method for automatically stripping molded articles, from the forms on which the articles are dried following the molding procedure, and to an apparatus for performing the method in an efficient and reliable manner.

In present-day large scale molding of paper pulp articles, such as shaped egg cartons, molding machinery is employed in which a plurality of shaped, perforate forms mounted on a movable support are immersed in a tank containing a watery slurry of paper pulp and subjected to a vacuum on one side of the form, whereby to cause the pulp to deposit on the external opposite shape sur; face of the forms. The form carrying support is next withdrawn from the tank and the deposited articles are transferred from the molding forms onto correspondingly shaped drying forms by which they are transported through a suitable oven or other drying chamber. When the molded cartons or other articles are thoroughly dried, they are stripped from the drying forms, imprinted, counted, stacked in nested relation, and packaged for shipment.

Molding and drying apparatus of the sort referred to is now available which operates with satisfactory speed, reliability and efficiency. However, the problem of removal of the dried cartons from the drying forms with comparable speed and efficiency, and especially without danger of damaging the cartons in the process, is one which has not yet been satisfactorily solved. The method and apparatus of the present application have been devised for that purpose. I

It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved, expeditious and reliable method and apparatus for the removal of molded and dried cartons from drying forms as a phase of a continuous molding, transferring and drying procedure, preceding the preparation of the cartons for shipment and use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus wherein sets of molded cartons or like articles on drying forms are transported on a chain conveyor through a drying oven, and are thereafter subjected to the operation of a carton stripping device to simultaneously remove the articles in sets from the forms in a positive yet safe and reliable manner, without likelihood of damage to the articles, to the forms or to the conveyor on which the drying forms are mounted.

A further object is to provide, in association with a mechanism of the above sort, a gravity delivery system enabling the stripped cartons to be removed in sets to a remote point, which system employs a minimum of mechanisms apt to become inoperative or require repair or adjustment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved molded carton stripping apparatus which is operated in timed relation to the operation of the molding and transfer mechanisms of a commercial molding room installation, this apparatus including a reciprocable stripper head carrying gangs of carton stripping plungers adapted to engage each of the carton drying forms on a continuous or endless chain-type conveyor employed to transport the forms through the drier, and the forms being of novel construction to cooperate with a gang stripper head of the sort referred to.

Yet another object is to provide a stripper assembly of the type described in association with automatically acting means, operated in timed relation to the plunger head, to support the conveyor medially of its side traclt members during the operation of the aforesaid gang plunger 2,703,041 Patented Mar. 1, 1955 mechanism, thereby avoiding deflection, distortion or damage of the special forms carried by the conveyor, and contributing to the efficiency of the stripping operation.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a continuous, endless conveyor for a stripping apparatus of the type referred to, said conveyor having a plurality of drying forms arranged in sets thereon and the means for mounting the forms on the conveyor being arranged to vacuum seal a set of forms with reference to one another, so as to adapt the conveyor for use in conjunction with a vacuum type article transfer operation.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus characterized by the combination with a plunger type stripping head and form carryingconveyor, as referred to in the preceding paragraphs, of an automatically acting supporting head operated in timed relation to the operation of the stripping head to sustain the conveyor between the sides thereof and thereby prevent.

damage or distortion to the conveyor or forms during the actual stripping operation.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide, for use in a stripping apparatus, an improved form carrying conveyor characterized by a set of like forms associated with one another in an improved and strengthened relation to resist wear and tear, which relation also adapts the forms to be carried on the conveyor in receiving relation to a transfer mechanism and to have the forms transferred thereon by a combined vacuum-positive pressure operation.

A still further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a plural-form drying and/or transporting unit for apparatus of the above sort, in which each of the forms includes a plurality of distributed, springbiased stripper or ejector pins adapted to be actuated by the gang plungers of a stripper head.

Another specific object is to provide a drying and conveying form of the above description in which the spring urged ejector pins are retracted with relation to the eX- ternal surface of the form, thereby enabling the latter to readily receive molded articles from the similarly shaped forms of a molding machine.

It is another general object of the invention to provide a molded article stripping installation including the combination of a plunger-type stripping mechanism and an improved and simplified, automatically controlled, gravity-type delivery device by which the stripped forms are forwarded in gangs to a remote delivery point, from which they are subsequently transferred through inspecting, printing, counting, stacking and packaging stations- The foregoing statements are indicative in a general Way of the nature of the invention, but other and more specific objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the construction and operation of the device.

A single embodiment of the invention is presented herein for purpose of illustration, but it will be appreciate'd that the invention is susceptible of incorporation in other modified forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. lis a fragmentary view in side elevation, generally illustrating the stripping mechanism of the present apparatus in its operative relation to the conveyor which transports molded articles on forms from the molding machine through a drier, and to the article delivery device which receives stripped articles from said mechanism, which stripping mechanism, conveyor and delive'ry device constitute components of the apparatus of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in front elevation, further illustrating the above referred to combination, being partially broken away in the interest of clarity of detail;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view, solely intended to show the general positional and operating relationship of certain elements of the conveyor and stripping mechanism;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating the manner in which a plurality of drying forms are arranged on the continuous, chain-type conveyor of the system, whereby to constitute a rigid set or gang of forms for each pair of links of the conveyor, each set vacuumsealed in the spaces between the respective forms;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in section along a line corresponding to line 5--5 of Fig. 4, further illustrating structural details of the article drying and transporting forms;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in front elevation showing certain of the article or carton delivery provisions associated with the stripping mechanism, also the T6121? tionship of the delivery provisions to the carton removal unit by which stripped and delivered cartons are transpoated for inspection, printing, stacking and packaging; an

Fig. 7 is a view in transverse vertical section along a line corresponding to line 7--7 of Fig. 6, further showing the relationship of the carton delivery and removal devices.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 6, the principal components involved in the apparatus or system to which the present invention relates are a continuous, endless, chain-type, form-carrying conveyor 10, onto which molded articles such as molded paper pulp egg cartons are transferred from a molding machine for transportation through a drying chamber or oven (not shown); a plunger-type carton ejecting or stripping mechanism 11, by which a set of six dried cartons are simultaneously removed from forms on the conveyor 10; a multiple chute delivery unit 12 by which the stripped cartons are directed gravitationally to a delivery point; and a belt-type discharge conveyor 13 (shown in Figs. 6 and 7) by which the cartons are received from the delivery unit and are aligned longitudinally and transported toward a disposal point for inspection, printing, counting, stacking, packaging and/or related operations involved in preparation for shipment.

Although particulars of the carton molding, transferring and drying operations are not involved in the present invention, nevertheless a brief description thereof may facilitate an understanding of the invention, especially since the subject apparatus is operated in timed relation to the article molding and transfer mechanism, and since certain details of the form-carrying drier conveyor have been devised with particular reference to the transfer operation by which the molded articles are transferred from the molding machine to the drier conveyor.

A conventional paper pulp molding machine of the rotary type includes a rotary support or cylinder of polygonal shape, intermittently driven, on which sets of specially shaped, liquid-permeable forms are successively immersed in a tank containing a watery slurry of paper pulp. When immersed the set of forms are subjected to a vacuum on one side thereof, causing the pulp to be deposited in a desired thickness, controlled by the elapsed time, degree of vacuum, composition of the slurry, etc., on the opposite side of therespective forms. The cylinder then advances to bring the deposited or molded articles thereon to a transfer position out of the pulp slurry.

Perforate drying forms which are of like shape, but reversed or complementary to those on the molding cylinder, are then nestingly engaged with the molded articles on the latter. The vacuum on the molding cylinder forms is now reversed and positive expelling pressure is applied. The side of the perforate drying forms opposite the engaged articles is simiultaneously subjected to vacuum to assist in transferring the cartons olf the molding cylinder and onto the drying forms for transportation through a drying oven or chamber. The drying forms are carried by an endless conveyor such as the conveyor 10 of the present apparatus.

It is evident from the above that the supports by which the drying forms are mounted on the conveyor 10 must be of a character to permit the efficient application of suction to the rear of the forms during the transferring operation, and this is a feature in which one aspect of the invention resides.

The conveyor 10 is driven longitudinally in synchronism with the molding machine, as by means of suitable register pins on the molding cylinder engaging a drum or pulleys over which the conveyor is trained, or by other more or less conventional means, and thus moves intermittently in timed relation to the movements of the molding cylinder.

With the cartons or other molded articles now securely drawn onto the forms on the conveyor 10, they are transported on one of two horizontally disposed reaches of the latter through an elongated drying chamber in which the cartons are appropriately dried during a stepby-step traverse of the chamber. Leaving the chamber, the cartons are conveyed by the other horizontal reach. of the conveyor, specially designated by the reference numeral 14, through the stripping apparatus 11. This apparatus is driven intermittently, in timed relation to the conveyor movements, by means of the meshing beveled gears 15, 16, it being understood that the former is appropriately driven from the conveyor or other source operated in synchronism therewith. The power is applied to a speed reduction device, generally designated 17, which in turn drives the main shaft 18 of the stripping apparatus 11 in a suitable speed ratio and in a continuous, unidirectional sense. The reference numeral 18 designates certain further clutch control and drive provisions which are not germane to the present invention.

Apparatus 11 includes a pair of identical, rigid upright side frames 19 which serve as supports and guides for various operating instrumentalities of the apparatus, likewise journaling the drive shaft 18 in appropriate bearings. Frames 19 are sustained by a rigid supporting structure of any suitable sort, exemplified by the arrangement of I-beams illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and generally designated by the reference numeral 20.

Externally of the frames 19 the shaft 18 has rigidly secured thereto a pair of like eccentrics 21 and the eccentric straps 22 associated with the eccentrics serve to drive the upwardly extending links 23 in a vertically reciprocating motion. These links are pivoted at the upper ends thereof (see Fig. 2) to the plunger-carrying stripper head 24 which extends crosswise of the apparatus between frames 19. The head is guided for vertical reciprocation by a pair of slide blocks 25 secured to its sides, through which the head is connected to links 23, these blocks being slidably received in vertical ways 26 in the respective frames 19.

The head 24 carries grouped gangs of downwardly projecting stripper plungers 27 which are fixedly secured to the head in accordance with a predetermined arrangement, as determined by the particular shape or character of the articles transported by the conveyor 10, the plungers 27 coacting with certain stripper or ejector pins carried by the traveling forms on the conveyor, more clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, to which reference should now be made.

Conveyor 10 includes pairs of elongated parallel links 28 on each of the opposite sides thereof which are spaced and pivotally articulated at their ends in a conventional manner, as indicated at 29. Track rollers 30 are rotatably mounted at these link pivots, also in a known fashion.

The drying forms, which are carried in laterally aligned groups of six between the links of conveyor 10, are designated 31. They are preferably of light weight, cast aluminum construction, being appropriately shaped for the reception of the molded pulp carton which is transferred thereto from the molding machine. Generally, each form presents a plurality of shaped projections 32, corresponding to the molded cellular depressions of the pulp carton, and a cover receiving section 33 adjoining the cell-shaped section. Spring biased ejector pins 34 are mounted in holes at appropriate points on the form 31 for sliding movement in the holes, there preferably being one pin for each of the projections 32 and several for the cover section 33. They are equally spaced, preferably at the corners of the latter, in the interest of securing a uniformly distributed ejecting thrust on the molded carton when the pins are actuated, thereby in turn insuring the proper stripping of the carton without distortion or tearing.

The pins 34 are provided with enlarged lower heads 35 which seat or nest in shallow recesses 36 in the outer ends of the projections 32 and cover section 33, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5, and they extend rearwardly through tapered throat openings 37 in rearwardly projecting, integral extensions 38 of the form. Extensions 38 serve to center the coil compression springs 39 surrounding the pins 34, the springs acting against abutment rings 40 secured to the pins, to the end that the pins are normally urged rearwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 5, with the heads 35 thereof housed in the forward form recesses 36. The forms 31 are of perforate character for the application of vacuum to articles thereon, but illustration of this specific feature is omitted for simplicity.

As stated above, the cartons are transferred onto forms 31 by suction applied to the rear of thefcrms. The throat openings 37 assist as ports through which this suction is made effective on the carton when the latter is engaged by the form. It follows that in order for the vacuum to be effective, the remainder of the group or set of forms between a given pair of conveyor links must be sealed against leakage over the area rearwardly thereof which is exposed to the source of vacuum. This is accomplished by a special construction of the shaped welded aluminum support 41 on which the set of forms 31 is secured.

The support 41 comprises a pair of like, elongated, generally U-shaped end members 42, rolled or extruded, which extend crosswise of the conveyor, the side members 43 of like construction and cross sectional shape which when butt welded to the ends of the members 42, constitute a rectangular, fiushsurfaced frame, and the intermediate plate-like cross fillers 44, which are butt welded to upper flanges of the respective end members 42 to extend lengthwise of the conveyor. These parts 42, 43, 44 present a rigid hollow, box like support having a plurality of rectangular openings 45 over which the forms 31 are disposed and held in fixed relation, as by the screw and nut provisions 46.

The above conveyor form assembly is air-tight and vacuum-sealing over the area of any given group of forms 31, yet the groups are hingedly articulated to one another by the conveyor links 28 for free passage past the transfer station of the molding system, i. e., over a polygonally shaped drum (not shown) at that station. The individual supports are strong and rigid as well as light in weight. Each support is appropriately secured to a pair of conveyor links 28, or to shim elements 47 on the links, as by welding along the side thereof.

It will be understood that as the conveyor pauses in its intermittent movement beneath the stripper head 24 and between the apparatus frames 19, the head descends and the plungers 27 thereof engage the ejecting pins 34 associated with the conveyor-carried forms 31. This causes the group of cartons on a group of forms to be stripped from the latter, gravitating through a deilvery chute system to be subsequently described. In order to partially support the conveyor 10 during stripping, the side rollers thereof are carried on horizontal parallel tracks 50 which are mounted on angle irons 51 secured to the frames 19, as illustratedin Fig. 2. These track provisions are but part of the elongated support for the drying conveyor along which the latter travelsin traversing the drying oven, and it is evident that with only this amount of vertical support at its extreme sides the con: veyor and forms 31 or form supports 41 thereon would be subject to vertical springing or distortion under the thrust of the stripping plungers 27. Therefore, the apparatus includes a further, transversely extending, c-onveyor sustaining head 52 which is mounted on sildes 5 3 appropriately guided in lower extensions of the ways 26 of the upright machine side frames 19.

Head 52 is provided with. a plurality of upwardly extending, elongated, plate-like, thrust sustaining ribs 54 which engage the form support41 at spaced points be tween the sides thereof, preferably at the areas of filler plates 44, when the head 52 is elevated to the position shown in Fig. 2. This movement takes place coincident with or just prior to the downward stroke of the plunger head 24 and is produced by a pair of cams 55 secured to the main drive shaft 18. The cams act on cam followers 56 connected by thrust links 57 with the respective slides 53. Thus the forms are stably supported against distorting stress in actual stripping operation, which, if not properly safeguarded against, would result in early damage to the forms or form supporting provisions on the conveyor 10, particularly with respect to the vacuuthsealing function thereof.

Properly stripped from forms 31 by the above described instrumentalities, a set of six of the molded can tons drops downwardly into the enlarged, V-shap'ed throat portion 60 of the chute structure 12 of the-apparatus. This chute structure includes a plurality of individual, laterally separate chutes 61, one for each of the six forms 31 of a given set on conveyor 10. The chutes are provided with elongated top or side openings- 62' for easy access to the cartons in theev'ent of jamming,- likewise to eliminate air compressive resistance to fall or the cartons. They are shaped touch-verat an-yide 6 sired point remote from the stripping station and the delivery ends 63 of the chutes are supported by brackets 4 on a rigid plate-like support 65. They deliver in vertically spaced, laterally overhanging relation to the discharge conveyor 13, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

A carton release timing mechanism, generally designated 66, is associated with the delivery ends of chutes 61, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6, being actuated in timed relation to the operation of the stripper apparatus 11 to release cartons from the chutes 61 in groups of six each, the released cartons falling onto the conveyor 13. The control mechanism comprises an elongated, transversely extending rod 67 disposed above the delivery ends 63 of the chutes and pivotally supported adjacent its ends by brackets 68 which are secured to the endmost chutes. Rod 67 has a plurality of retaining dogs 69 fixedly applied thereto in vertical alignment with the top opening 62 of the respective chutes 61. An actuating arm 70 is applied to one end of the rod, this arm being pivotally connected at 71 to an actuating link 72. Link 72 extends upwardly and is in turn pivotally connected by a universal connector 73 to a lever 74 which is medially pivoted on the supporting frame 20 of the apparatus. The opposite end of the lever 74 is connected by an actuating rod 75 with the plunger head actuating rod 23, whereby the control rod 67 is oscillated in synchronism with the movements of the stripping plunger head 24. As the head descends, the dogs 69 swing downwardly to support the series of cartons in each of the chutes 61. As the head retracts upwardly, the dogs likewise rise to permit the endmost group or groups of cartons in the chutes 61 to be pushed outwardly from the latter, dropping onto conveyor 13.

Conveyor 13 is of a generally conventional belt type, including a supporting frame 77 having angled upstanding side plates 78 and a number of belt pulleys which are brackebsupported by the frame 77. These include the end pulleys 79, 80, the pivoted belt tensioning pulley 81, and a pair of intermediate pulleys 82, 83. The upper reach 84 of an endless belt 85 trained about the aforesaid pulleys travels along a hat table surface 86 of the conveyor, as illustrated in Fig. 7, and a plurality of restraining flaps or gates 87 are freely pivoted at points between the respective chutes 61 to depend downwardly toward the upper belt reach. Gates 87 are for the purpose of maintaining cartons dischargedonto the conveyor 13 in end-to-end engagement with one another as they are advanced on the upper belt reach 84. A plurality of shaped carton aligning elements 89 positioned to one side of the said reach 84 insure that the cartons are individually urged toward one side of the belt as they traverse conveyor 13 hence are delivered from that conveyor for subsequent operations in uniform, closely spaced, and longitudinally aligned relation to one another.

It is believed that the operation of the above apparatus and the carton stripping method which it performs will be understood from the above with no more than a general description. The cartons are picked up from the molding machine of the system by suction applied to the rear of the forms 31, this in turn being made possible by the special sealed construction of the respective chaincarried supports 41 on which groups of the forms are mounted. The molded articles are transported by conveyor 10 through a drying chamber or oven by an interrnittent movement, and when dried are presented to the stripping apparatus 11 in vertically aligned relation to its plunger head 24. During a pause in the conveyor movement, the thrust sustaining head 60 is elevated by earns 55 and cam followers 56 into supporting engagement of its ribs 54 with the form supports 41 between successive forms 31 on the latter. The plunger head 24 descends and its gangs of plungers 27 engage and depress the form-carried stripper p ns 34 against the resistance of the individual pin springs 39, thus stripping the car'ton from the form by a uniformly applied and distributed, nondestructive thrust. The stripped cartons fall into the enlarged throat 60 of the respective gravity chutes 61 and are intermittently released onto the conveyor 13 by the pivoted dogs 69.

The dogs 69 check the speed of the descending articles and serve as timers for the uniform, simultaneous delivery of a group or set of articles from the various chutes. Some of the latter may be of unequal length, hence the importance of a suitable delivery control provision is evident. I

- It is evident that the apparatus requires only infre- 7 quent inspection in the operation thereof, being entirely automatic in character. It is relatively simple and inexpensive in its parts, and it coordinates or equalizes the carton stripping operation, with regard to factors of speed, safety and reliability, with the other related operations of molding, transferring and drying performed by the system of which the apparatus is a part.

I claim:

1. A molded article stripping apparatus, comprising a supporting frame, an endless driven conveyor guided past said frame, said conveyor comprising a plurality of shaped article carrying forms pivotally articulated in flat sets to one another, each of said forms being provided with ejecting pins mounted for movement therethrough transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyor, a plunger head, means guiding said head for movement on said supporting frame across the path of said conveyor at a right angle to said path and to the plane of a set of forms in the line of movement of the head, said head being engageable with said ejecting pins to thrust the same against and strip an article from the form, a sustaining head, means guiding said sustaining head for movement on the opposite side of said conveyor path, and in the line of movement of said plunger head, into sustaining engegement with said forms in opposition to said plunger head, and means for actuating said plunger and sustaining heads for said movements.

2. A molded article stripping apparatus, comprising a supporting frame, an endless driven conveyor guided past said frame, said conveyor comprising a plurality of rigid, substantially flat, plate-like form supports each provided with a plurality of laterally spaced holes and having a set of shaped article carrying forms removably mounted over the respective holes thereof, said form supports being pivotally articulated to one another, each of said forms being provided with ejecting pins mounted for movement therethrough transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyor, a plunger head, means guiding said head for movement on said supporting frame across the path of said conveyor at a right angle to said path and to the plane of a set of forms in the line of movement of the head, said head being engageable with said ejecting pins to thrust the same against and strip an article from the form, a sustaining head, means guiding said sustaining head for movement on the opposite side of said conveyor path, and in the line of movement of said plunger head, into sustaining engagement with said form supports in opposition to said plunger head, and means for actuating said plunger and sustaining heads for said movements.

3. A molded article stripping apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which a plurality of gravity delivery chutes are positioned in receiving relation to the forms of said respective sets to receive articles stripped therefrom.

4. A molded article stripping apparatus in accordance with claim 3 which includes means'operated in timed relation to the operation of said heads to control the discharge of articles from said chutes.

5. A molded article stripping apparatus, comprising an endless, articulated chain-type, intermittently operated conveyor, a supporting frame past which said conveyor is guided in the intermittent movement thereof, said conveyor comprising a plurality of articulated, laterally extending, form supports each provided with a plurality of laterally spaced holes and having shaped article carrying forms mounted in flat sets over the respective holes thereof, means removably securing said forms in fluid tight relation to said holes, stripping means including a plunger head, means guiding said head for reciprocation on said frame transversely of the conveyor movement and at a right angle to the plane of said form sets to engage and simultaneously strip groups of articles from said forms. a sustaining head, means guiding said sustaining head for reciprocation on said frame on the opposite side of said conveyor and in line with the movement of said plunger head into sustaining engagement with said support between the forms thereof, and means for reciprocating said plunger and sustaining heads.

6. A molded article stripping apparatus in accordance with claim 5, in which a plurality of chutes are positioned in receiving relation to the respective forms to receive groups of articles stripped by said stripping means, and which includes means operated in timed relation to the operation of said heads to control the discharge of articles from said chutes.

7. A stripping apparatus, comprising a longitudinally moving conveyor provided with a plurality of sets of forms spaced transversely of the path of conveyor movement, a reciprocatory stripping member past which said conveyor moves, means actuated by said member and intermittently engageable with articles on said forms to simultaneously eject a plurality of articles therefrom, means to reciprocatorily operate said stripping member, a plurality of open sided trough-shaped gravity delivery chutes having receiving portions in vertically aligned receiving relation to the respective forms of said sets, escapernent means positioned adjacent the delivery end of each of said chutes and acting to retard and control the discharge of articles therefrom, said escapernent means acting through the open sides of the chutes, and means operatively connected to the operating means for said stripping member to actuate said escapernent means in timed relation to the operation of said stripping member.

8. A stripping apparatus, comprising a longitudinally moving conveyor provided with a plurality of sets of forms, spaced transversely of the path of conveyor movement, each including spring-urged stripper pins acting transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyor, a reciprocatory stripping member past which said conveyor moves which is intermittently engageable with the pins of said forms to simultaneously eject a plurality of articles therefrom, means to reciprocatorily operate said stripping member, a plurality of trough-shaped gravity delivery chutes having receiving portions in vertically aligned receiving relation to the respective forms of said sets and each having a delivery end remote from its receiving portion, escapernent means positioned adjacent the delivery end of each of said chutes and acting to retard and control the discharge of articles therefrom, and means operatively connected to the operating means for said stripping member to actuate said escapernent means in timed relation to the operation of said stripping member.

9. An article stripping mechanism, comprising a moving conveyor having a plurality of rigid individual platelike supports hingedly articulated in straight line longitudinal succession along the sides thereof, each of said supports comprising a fluid impervious surface provided with a plurality of holes spaced transversely from one another in relation to the line of articulation of the supports, said supports having shaped forms removably secured about outer margins thereof to said support in covering relation to said respective holes, said holes and forms being substantially coextensive in size at the meeting area of the forms and supports and said forms each being in fluid-tight relation to said support at said outer margin, said forms each being provided with a plurality of ejector pins mounted for movement therethrough transversely of said support surface into ejecting engagement with articles on said forms, and a stripping device past which said conveyor is intermittently moved, said stripping device comprising a plunger head engageable with said pins, a sustaining head oppositely engageable with said supports, and means to move said heads toward and away from one another.

10. An article stripping mechanism, comprising a conveyor having a plurality of rigid individual, plate-like supports hingedly articulated in straight line longitudinal succession along the sides thereof, each of said supports comprising a fluid impervious surface provided with a plurality of holes spaced transversely from one another in relation to the line of articulation of the supports, said supports having shaped forms removably secured about outer margins thereof in rigidly fixed relation to said support and in covering relation to said respective holes, said holes and forms being substantially coextensive in size at the meeting area of the forms and supports and said forms each being in fluid-tight relation to said support at said outer margin, said forms each being provided with a plurality of ejector pins mounted for movement therethrough transversely of said support surface into ejecting engagement with articles on said forms.

11. An article stripping mechanism, comprising a conveyor having a plurality of rigid individual, plate-like supports hingedly articulated in straight line longitudinal succession along the sides thereof, each of said supports comprising a fluid impervious surface provided with a plurality of holes spaced transversely from one another in relation to the line of articulation of the supports, said supports having shaped forms removably secured in 9 rigidly fixed relation thereto and in covering relation to the respective holes, the forms each being secured at their rear and about their outer side margins to said support, in fluid-tight relation at said margins to said support, and being substantially coextensive in area at said margins with said respective holes, said forms each comprising a hollow, forwardly enclosed member projecting forwardly and outwardly of said support surface from said secured margin of the form, and an ejector pin mounted for movement within said hollow projecting member and through a forward portion thereof into ejecting engagement with an article on the outer surface of said form.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Knaust Apr. 15, 

